Taking you Home Again
by gemsawesome
Summary: Hatsuharu Sohma is frustrated with Rin's recent behavior and when Hiro tells him about her accident, Haru snaps. NOTICE: I used a lot of the dialog from chapeters 104 to start off the story. R/R if you want! ENJOY!
1. Chapter 1: Hiro Speaks

**Quick Note:**

**I do not own any of the rights to "Fruit's Basket", the credit to the manga/anime belongs to the creator and publisher(s). The story I have written is influenced from the fruits basket manga.**

**Spoiler Alert- I used chapters 104-107 a lot during the writing process so, fair warning!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Hey watch where you're going!" said the Hiro accused the young man who had bumped into them. "Where you are going.. or did you <em>want<em> to run us over you big oaf! Do you think that just because you're older and bigger than I am that you can just _trample_ us where we stand? Who do you think you are some sort of _baller_? Well your not you're just dumb old Haru. I demand an apology at once!"

Hiro Sohma's bitching was met with tried patience from Hatsuharu Sohma. Despite Haru's "black side" The punk was never afraid to speak his mind to Haru. It wasn't until his beloved Kisa intervened that he shut up and let the bull pass. But not before preaching about how his action ruined his life.

"If you're looking for Rin, she's not there... She isn't at Kagura's either - I don't know where she is."

His tone was no longer laced with defiance; it was serious for once. Perhaps that is the reason Hatsuharu stopped to listen, perhaps it was because Hiro mentioned Rin's name. Hiro wasn't sure, but no matter what it was, it made him pay attention. His words seemed to hit Haru with a stronger force then the obvious attacks he threw at him when they bumped into eachother.

"Is...She okay Hiro?"

Hiro sucked in his breath at Haru's question. It was the perfect chance to tell Haru everything! The perfect chance to give him the explanation he knew Haru had been looking for due to Rin's actions. He thought of Akito's order and then thought of Kisa. Something had to be done now. And though it broke his heart to disobey Akito because of the Juunishi bond. He knew it he would have to live with the shame and regret forever if he didn't say anything. Haru must have thought that Hiro had nothing to say, because as soon as Hiro woke from his train of thought, he was already starting to walk away. Hiro Panicked and exploded his confession at Hatsuharu's back.

"IT WAS AKITO's DOING!"

The edgy young man stopped dead in his tracks and turned slightly to see the usually smartass kid, tremble in his boots. Kisa covered her mouth and gasped and asked Hiro what he was talking about. Hiro turned to look at her –mainly for support - because he knew that once he saw those beautiful caramel colored eyes, he would have the strength to tell Haru the truth about Rin. Still he couldn't look Haru in the eyes as he told him the truth.

"It wasn't an accident, Akito...he pushed Rin out the second story window...at Sohma House because...**because he found out about you and her**! Akito...Akito he", Hiro couldn't stop shaking; he was certain he forgot how to breathe and had to keep reminding himself how. He was so terrified of the consequences from Haru and even more so, Akito. Disobeying Akito's word (which was law) was inconceivable for the Juunishi - he was shocked at his audacity! He nearly lost his nerve at the thought, but luckily for him, Kisa interrupted him with a simple hitch, a slight gasp of air escaping her mouth. Her action reminded gave him courage and he turned to her.

"Kisa...When Akito hit you... He did it because of me. I made Akito angry - I told him I loved you and he made you a target for him to shoot at. I'm sorry! I am so sorry!" He buried his face in his hands briefly before begging,

"Please forgive me.''

She opened her mouth but before she could say anything he turned back to Haru, "I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner Haru-Nii! Akito wouldn't let me tell anyone. I couldn't...you can be angry with me... But I couldn't because Akito said not to.."

Hiro nearly felt as if he was convincing himself that he was doing the right thing by telling Haru about Rin's accident with Akito. He was shocked by his own words so much that he no longer that he wasn't disgruntled when he didn't get Hatsuharu's response, but he did feel a deep sense of dread, paranoia...a fear that he would lose his older "brother" and that he would feel Akito's wrath for disobeying him.

Nevertheless he sucked in all his fear and doubt and continued on his rant, "She wants to break the curse! **For you Haru**! So you will be free from the curse! **That is why she left you**!" He burst out suddenly, still looking at the ground. A man from the dry cleaners place they were standing outside of stepped out due to the chaotic noises, but quickly returned to the sanctity of his store.

"Tell her enough is enough! If she keeps this up, she will get hurt! I just know it!" He was on the edge of tears when he found himself done with his passionate confession. He breathed heavily, and felt a gentle hand on his shoulder followed by three distinct "pats" on his head. He looked up at Haru, who said nothing but turned on his feet and left.

"Hiro? Rin, where is she now?", Kisa asked him - taking hold of his hand.

"I don't know Kisa, but wherever she is, I hope she can regain her spirit and come back home." As they watched as Hatusuharu walk away. Nobody would intersect his path; in fact people jumped three feet out of his way. Because anyone in this Black Haru's wake would surely never live to see the light of the next day!

Miles away, Kureno Sohma was carrying an unconscious girl whose hair was cut sporadically short. He carried her past the objecting servants, and finally, away from Sohma House.

~o~o~0~o~o~

Saki Hanajima thinking about motorcycles as she was walked slowly with Arisa Uotani. There was something very sexy about motorcycles that she couldn't put her finger on. There was a fluidity of the bikes that made her feel normal. She found it very satisfactory that a black Harley Davidson with purple flames was approaching her and Arisa when she sensed a disturbance two blocks behind her.

"I sense Hatsuharu's electrical signals." She said as urgently as a girl with her monotone voice could respectfully say without damaging her reputation for her lack of excitement and puzzling persona. Uo-o looked over at her. Surprised when Hana began walking briskly, compared to her usual slow and fluid motion of feet. She did her best to catch up with her friend.

"He has been like a storm lately, I've noticed. A monsoon of emotions contained in a young mans body is a dangerous thing in itself. But now the dark cloud, the thunderstorm inside him has him spiraling out of control of late. He is not to be underestimated. I suggest that we cross the street as soon as this car passes. So we do not intersect his wake. Hurry!"

Uo-o was dumbstruck yet again, by Hana's words. "What are you talking about Hana?"

"I don't understand why Priuses are so popular now. They are ugly cars. And so very slow. If I was to pick a car, I would choose a Sedan - black of course - or a Volvo...Volvo's last a lifetime. Hurry Uo-o Chan!"

Before Ou-o could think to say anything to rebuttal Hana's chastisement of people's taste in cars, Hana pulled her by her hair to cross the street. The action woke Uo-o from her bewilderment!

"Hana! Hana! getoffme!"

"I told you to hurry. Don't worry I'll fix your hair later. You'll look pretty as a princess!"

**END OF CHAPTER ONE! R/R if you wanna ;) Longer chapters later.**


	2. Chapter 2: Confronting Akito

**Quick Note:**

**I do not own any of the rights to "Fruit's Basket", the credit to the manga/anime belongs to the creator, **Takaya Natsuki **and publisher(s)****FUNimation (anime) & ****Tokyopop (manga)********. The story I have written is influenced from the fruits basket manga.**

**Spoiler Alert- I used chapters 104-107 a lot during the writing process so, fair warning! This chapter is majorly Chapter 105 - only slightly tweaked.**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>It is said that the gentle bull, not the vicious one, most often kills or maims his keeper. So naturally it would be wise to say, never coax the temper from a bull, as there is no telling what might happen. Indeed, the saying "Never cross a bull" should have been said to Akito before he inflicted harm towards Rin Sohma. For the anger spewing through Hatsuharu at the moment was so inconceivably terrorizing that he could have made the trees shudder in fear, spraying the sidewalk with leaves not yet ready to fall.<p>

It explained everything. Her newfound rebelliousness, her strange behavior towards him - towards the world! All of her actions - not going to school, disappearing for ages on end, worrying Kagura's family senseless. It all made sense now after Hiro's panic erupted. Akito had hurt Rin, and Rin wanted to protect him from Akito hurting him as well - the way Akito hurt her...just like what Hiro did to Kisa...just like Hatori and Kana. He was shaking with rage! How dare he. He knew Akito was head of the family, but this...he was NOT okay with. This, he could not abide!

He nearly ripped the sliding door from its place as he entered Akitos lair. He heard many of the house servants try to reason with him. "Please, Master Haru! Don't-" He didn't care. He kept walking till he got to the room where Akito was and barged in, making an insufferable crash! Akito looked up at him, calmly - but obviously annoyed at him. Black Haru.

"What is it?" He asked dully.

Before he could accuse the cold head of the family, the annoyingly housekeeper intervened. "What is the meaning of this disrespect! You shouldn't be here! Not while you are so angry, you shouldn't do -"

"Shut up. Get lost you old hag! This is none of your concern." His voice was deep and throaty and foreign to him. It seemed to get the point across, for Akito to pay attention.

"Excuse me?" She gasped before Haru slammed the sliding door shut with an insufferable crash. _Well I never!_ She thought before waddling away.

"You must have something very important to tell me. Please, come in Haru. Tell me what's on your mind." Akito stood, extending his arms to Haru in a welcoming gesture that was obviously sarcastic and full of annoyance. Haru did not accept.

"_Why did you push Rin_?" He wasn't yelling, but he spoke threatening enough to make Akito take a step back. He dropped his outstretched arms and crossed his chest. But he Haru could see the slight smirk on that sinister face.

"What? Me? Pushing Rin? This is the first I've heard of this sort of thing." He coyly teased Haru, "Whoever told you that were liars!" Haru's anger deepened even more at Akito's sarcasm. So he answered with the same sarcasm, himself.

"A little birdie told me one day."

"Ha ha ha!" He chuckled, "You're such an idiot." Akito turned and walked to the other end of the room. Haru's rage was evergrowing, rapidly, like a deadly virus. A virus that poisoned him, his blood was on fire, and all Haru could see was red.

"What are you_ laughing_ about? Why did you push her? Go on! Tell me, did you want to kill her?" His words must have struck Akito, because he turned to look at Haru with a look that could make anyone squirm. But Haru was never phased by Akito's threatening presence - not once in his life had Haru feared him. Despite the Juunishi curse, he may have been bound to Akito through it, but he would never be terrified of him because he knew he was much stronger.

"It's strange…you believe in heaven, but not God." He started, "I wonder, why are you so upset about what happened to Rin, why do you care how she got hurt? But then again, you have always been particularly...gentle towards her. Is it that you pity her? Because she is such a pathetic little tramp, you can't leave her alone?"

Haru snapped.

"**BECAUSE I LOVE HER! THATS WHY!**" Haru bellowed, his breathing was labored, his blood was pounding in his head. But just as suddenly as his black side came out he felt an intense surge of fear. He swallowed some of his rage, as it became panic with what he said next.

"Rin...where is she?"

Akito didn't answer, merely looked down, ignoring the question as if he were finished with him.

"Where is Rin, Akito! What have you done with her?" He repeated.

Akito just walked away as if he was bored with the conversation already and looked out the window were some birds were chirping happily.

"You speak non-sense Haru...As if it matters? -" Akito said, abruptly.

"-If you're God you would have noticed that I care for her!" Haru started accusing him again, but Akito continued to move about the room uninterested. Frustrated, Haru slammed his hand against the wall, trapping Akito.

"Why must you say such hurtful things, to me Hatsuharu? You dare tell me that you love.._.that_...woman? I hated Rin. But you betrayed me and said 'I love you' to _that slut._" His words were so manipulative...So disgustingly warped...Haru suddenly felt like it was his doing that Rin was hurt - despite Akito's initial, physical involvement. Haru backed away suddenly, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face with Akito's words. He was shaking. He knew that Akito had done something else to Rin. He just knew it! She had been missing or been in some questionable "hospital" for nearly two weeks! And here Akito was standing in front of him acting as if he knew nothing! He did something, Haru was certain.

"Where is Rin, Akito? Where is she?"

Akito shrugged away his question. "How should I know..." He said and walked away from him. But Haru couldn't take Akito's reluctance to talk anymore. He grabbed him by the back of the collar and whipped him around to face him. He Clutched Akito's robe and lifted him off the ground as if he weight nothing to him and gave him a cold, icy stare.

"**WHERE IS SHE AKITO!**" He bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"I DONT KNOW!" Akito retorted, he sounded like a child when they didn't want to get in trouble with their parents. Denial, denial, denial!

"Isuzu..."

The calm voice stopped Haru from shouting, he stood paralyzed, but still clutching Akito's robe.

"Has been sent to the hospital. Though she is half conscious, Hatori says she does not seem to be in critical condition." Kureno informed them. He walked into the room, making a beeline for Akito. Haru dropped the head of the house and turned from both of them.

"Akito, there are some things you cannot do, this one of those things. Locking people up..."

Haru interrupted Kureno before he could finish, "Rin! Where was she, Kureno? Where has she been?" Kureno didn't answer at first, but turned to look at Haru's back.

"She seems to have been locked in the cats room this whole time." He told Haru before turning back to Akito.

Hatsuharu was shaking uncontrollably. He put his hands to his face, trying desperately not to explode, but knew he would. _Rin...his beautiful Rin was trapped in that...hole of a room, that jail cell! His beautiful Isuzu was trapped in such a terrifying nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. The _cat's _room!_

"Too much..." he said, his breathing was getting to be dangerously labored. He vaguely heard Kureno and Akito fighting. "Too much! TOO MUCH!"

He exploded.

"**WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? IS IT SOME KIND OF CRUEL JOKE YOU WANTED TO PULL! YOU'RE A FUCKING ASSHOLE, AKITO**" He couldn't control his noise level, he didn't know how. He charged at Akito, vehemently, pulling him up by the collar of his robes, " **YOU LOCKED RIN UP! HOW COULD YOU DO SUCH A THING TO HER? HOW DARE YOU!"**

"Becausee _you _chose that woman! It's _your fault. _You know it is, you know that it was _you yourself _who_ strangled her!_"

Haru snapped again he was choking Akito with all his might, getting ready to knock him out. It was as if everything had become slow motion. He was very aware of what he was doing all of a sudden and rather than punch Akito, he punched his fist into the wall into the wall and threw a now shell-shocked Akito to the floor.

"Ha..Hatsuharu...Haru wait! Don't go!"

"Shut up, Akito." Haru heard Akito object more. The head of the household's distressed voice made him stop when he got to the main entrance of the house. He felt himself waver, just one more step and he was outside and away from Akito. But dare he turn his back on his god? He nearly lost his nerve when he felt someone touch his shoulder. He stopped but didn't turn around; he didn't trust himself to look at anyone. His emotions were still so off balance.

"You should be able to visit Isuzu in a few days. She will want to see you. Now go_... LEAVE_! And don't come back." Kureno's words turned his anger into anguish, but gave him the strength to walk away from Akito's desperate calls. And he kept walking long after he left Sohma House; long after it was dark and the streets were vacant of all life forms did he finally stop walking. And feeling defeated, he sank to his knees and cried.

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><p>AN: I know that some of you are going to say that I just copy pasted my story...but it's really not


	3. Chapter 3: Private Demons

**Quick Note:**

**I do not own any of the rights to "Fruit's Basket", the credit to the manga/anime belongs to the creator,**Takaya Natsuki **and publisher(s) ****FUNimation (anime) & ****Tokyopop (manga)********. The story I have written is influenced from the fruits basket manga.**

**Spoiler Alert- I used chapters 104-107 a lot during the writing process so, fair warning! [****This chapter has some of 106 but not much]**

**Enjoy!**

_It was the muffled scream that woke him then the tossing and turning, as if she were in an epic battle with his bed and losing pitifully. He nudged her shoulder and whispered in her ear to wake up._

_ "Rin...Rin, wake up, baby! RIN!"_

_ She gasped herself awake and looked at him, and burst into tears. Haru pulled her into a deep embrace. She had another nightmare, though she never told him what they were about - he knew. He had heard her begging them not to hurt her anymore in her sleep. He held her as if tdo take her pain away when she had squirmed in her sleep. He looked down at her, she was shivering in his school shirt that seemed to dwarf her small body._

_ "Did you have another nightmare, Rin?", he asked. He knew better than to expect an answer. She was so private about what demons possessed her at night. So he held her._

~o~o~0~o~o~

Haru wasn't completely sure where he was, he was lost in his thoughts. All he could think about was her. His best friend, his beautiful Rin. Why hadn't she talked to him about this? As soon as he thought that Haru sighed... he should have known! _She was so private about her demons _he really should never been surprised that Rin's decision to leave him was not because she was "Tired of him" but because she was afraid for him. She didn't want to lose the only person she had in her life, the only person who had loved her. She had only been trying to protect him.

He dropped to his knees and hid his face in his hands to hide the sob that escaped him. Shame. That was all he felt right now, utter shame at his attitude of late; for practically a year he had been nostalgic and complacent to Rin's out-of-the-blue decision to dump him. He hadn't protested, he simply accepted the blow to his ego and the pain in his heart and responded with a numbness that was so unlike him. He acted as if he was on a high dosage of morphine towards everything - and everyone. What had happened to his black personality? It was strange that he was upset that it didn't uctually kick in until an hour ago. He was disgusted with himself for not pushing her to talk to him about what was going on with her. Didn't she know he could've helped her? His anger came back. His brain was a whirlwind of emotions, that when mixed together, made an atrocious blend he couldn't understand in the slightest!

It was dusk by the time he had risen his head. His body was exhausted from crying. He wanted to go home and burrow deep in his bed and never wake up again. First things first. He had to conjure up the strength to will himself to his feet. Grasping onto the closest thing in reach (a trash can), he pulled himself up and found started the long journey home, his head still hung and his heart still aching.

~o~o~0~o~o~

"Sohma residence, yes this is she. Hatori-San, hello how-", She began before the stern doctor interupted her. She listened ernestly to the bleak news she knew her son would not be happy with._ What was going to happen to that poor girl next?_ She thought, _Someday her body is just going to give up on itself if she continues doing this. _The woman sighed as she reached her sons door and knocked impatiently

"Haru, are you awake?" She continued to knock rapidly with no answer "There's a call for you - it's from Hatori-San" she waited for a few moments longer but still no answer - he was either knocked out cold or he had decided to leave again without telling her where he was going. "HARU! ARE YOU THERE! Hatori-San has some news about Rin!" Finally her son opened the door and took the phone from. She looked at him, her heart was breaking at the sight of him. He was growing up so fast, she had to look up to see his face now, he was no longer a little boy with baby fat, since when did he become so handsome - She instantly hated growth spurts at that moment knowing he was no longer her little boy. His face became very grave and she expected he had recieved the news that Hatori had told her only moments ago. She placed a comforting hand on his arm as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"I know, thank you for telling me Ha-san" He said, ending the phone call.

"Are you going to to go look for her?" The worried mother asked.

"Yeah, I will probably be out a while - there is no telling where she could have gone off to."

"Do you want some help? I can take the car out and call you on your cell if I find her." He looked up at her proposal and smiled at her, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Thank you Mom. If you do find her - take her to Kazuma's house - I don't want her anywhere near Akito." She nodded at his instructions and watched him go back into his room to throw on a jacket and put on his boots.

"Are you going to be okay, Haru?"

"Yes" He replied, pausing on his laces, "Once I find her."

**Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!**


	4. Chapter 4: Let Me Carry You

**Quick Note:**

**I do not own any of the rights to "Fruit's Basket", the credit to the manga/anime belongs to the creator,**Takaya Natsuki **and publisher(s) ****FUNimation (anime) & ****Tokyopop (manga)********. The story I have written is influenced from the fruits basket manga.**

**Spoiler Alert- Alright you wont notice what I took from Chapter in this one cause I tried to put my own little spin on it.**

**Enjoy!**

It wasn't the overly sanitized smell that reeked of pre-dermined death, it wasn't the paper-like 'sheets' and sparse blankets that did little to keep away the cold, it wasn't the disgusting food, the lack of privacy. The tests, procedures, shots and IV's she could tolerate. But what Rin hated most about hospitals was the continuity of the place. Hospitals never slept - day and night did not exist in the alternate universe that the medical world was a part of. She could never sleep at hospitals - and when she did, it was restless and unpleasant.

So when Rin woke up she not content with her surroundings, she was anxious and emotional and had to get away from where she was ASAP! But her body was telling her that she did not have the strength to get up, let alone escape the hospital. But the longer was aware of where she was, the more claustrophobic she was becoming. She reached up to run a hand through her hair and suddenly shook when she realized that it was about 15 inches too short. Akito!

_You want to see if I am serious?_ That room, she was in that nightmarish room, the cat's room. _You want to see if I'm serious? _Rin panicked, Oh no! If Akito finds out that I'm missing from the room, Haru will get hurt! I have to get out of here! I have to get out! She had suddenly forgot that her body was exhausted and and connected to an IV until she felt the tug on her arm. Without a care she ripped out the needle, leaving the distressed vein raw and vulnerable. And without considering the possibility of running into one of the hospital's many doctors, nurses, and staff she ran down the hall to the stairs that led to main lobby and finally out the doors of the hospital, leaving a trail of IV blood behind her.

~o~o~0~o~o~

Haru was silently freaking out as he left his house. He ran to the hospital as fast as his feet could carry him. She couldn't have gotten _that_ far, could she? As soon as the thought came into his head, he kicked himself for thinking it. Yes, yes she could have. Rin was a fast girl, not only because she was the horse spirit, but her father and mother were both very athletic (from what he had heard) in high school and at the University. Even when Rin was sick, she could outrun him. There was no saying where she could be now, if she was in the right state of mind, whether she was hurt or not. The possibilities were endless.

Haru's mind wandered as he slowed down to a more comfortable pace. What had influenced her to leave her hospital room in the middle of the night? He knew she disliked hospitals, but she had always tolerated hospital visits when she had to be there. This was the first time he'd ever heard her leaving the hospital altogether! But there were a lot of things about Rin that he had never been able to understand, he loved that about her. Just like he loved confusing people with his own reasoning. Haru's impatience was catching up with him as the sky began to lighten with still no sign of Rin or news from his mom or Hatori; so he stopped walking and slowly looked at all of his surroundings. Go left. a voice inside him said, maybe it was intuition, maybe it was his heart speaking to him. Nevertheless, he decided to listen to it.

~o~o~0~o~o~

Rin wasn't sure where her feet had led her. She felt dizzy and perplexed; the feeling made her cry in both confusion and frustration. She had to get to Sohma house, but she didn't even know where she was! She had to save Haru from Akito's wrath but the darkness engulfed her, she was sure she was suffocating from it. As she let out a wheezy sigh she fell to her knees and heaved what little was in her stomach. Feeling disgusting, she crawled as far away from it as she could. On to the vacant street and collapsed. "I'll never get there. Maybe it was just a dream? A nightmare, what a horrible dream...I only want to dream of Haru, a gentle Haru." She said to herself as her heavy eyes fluttered shut. She saw visions of what had happened to her over the past week or so. She felt defeated, she had failed Haru, now she would never find him happiness. Tears welled up in her eyes, she wanted to dream of something else. She wanted to dream of Haru, who she loved.

~o~o~0~o~o~

Haru was a bit surprised when he found her, that he didn't rush to her side. Instead he just walked to where her body lay in the middle of the street. She was in such a state, how did she make it out this far? It was dusk of the next day, he was so incredibly tired, but despite his fatigue, he couldn't stop searching for her. All night and day he had looked for her, made phone calls, asked people if they had seen her - he'd made phone calls to Shigure's house, Kagura's mom's, and Hiro as well. Though they all told him that they would go out and look for her straight away and call him if they found her, he'd guessed they'd probably given up now. Which was why he was so relieved to have found her.

When he reached her side he sucked in his gasping breath and touched her shoulder. She'd gotten thinner since he last saw her, and her hair was short now. It didn't look bad, but he couldn't say that he liked it either. Her long hair really exemplified how she looked, so it was strange to see her look like a Raggedy Ann doll. She was so dirty and mucked up - she wasn't even wearing shoes. Her knees had tell-tale signs of falling, her wrist had dried blood from where the IV once was - had she ripped it out of her vein? He moved his hand from her shoulder to her cropped hair, when she turned.

"Haru? Is that you for real? Or am I dreaming?" she mumbled with her eyelids half shut. He wasn't sure she knew if it was actually him or not. There was a good chance she was hallucinating - she probably was malnourished and dehydrated. Her eyes began to widen, he could tell she had been crying. "...I failed you, I couldn't find a way to give you happiness. I'm sorry! Which means..my journey ends here..then...then.."

He couldn't stand to hear her so upset so he interrupted her, ''Well then, If you're journy has finally ended and you don't return to my side, I should be very lonely."

"Then I should be going back." Tears escaped down her cheeks and she smiled, "What a good dream."

Haru smiled and then sighed but decided to bring her back to reality and picked her up. "Anyway this isn't a dream" he stated, "I spent so long looking for you, you've had everyone so worried, and your body is in such a state. How you got yourself all the way out here is beyond me."

"Haru! Haru I can walk by myself." she objected - but she didn't sound too sure of herself, Haru just rolled his eyes to the heavens and continued walking.

"No. I may still be a brat, and not noticed that. You are always getting yourself hurt. You might still be older than me but I am not the kid I used to be...I can carry you now. So I will not let go of you...Let me carry you. It is better if I do, anyway, sometimes you need to stop being so strong. You're not a burden - you're especially not _my_ burden." He heard her stutter and mumble his name, though her voice was incoherent, he got the gist of what she was saying. Especially after she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear...

"I'm back!"


	5. Chapter 5: A Reckoning

**Quick Note:**

**I do not own any of the rights to "Fruit's Basket", the credit to the manga/anime belongs to the creator,**Takaya Natsuki **and publisher(s) ****FUNimation (anime) & ****Tokyopop (manga)********. The story I have written is influenced from the fruits basket manga.**

**Spoiler Alert- No spoiler here! :D**

**Enjoy!**

When Haru walked into Master Kazuma's house, Rin had fallen asleep. There was always so much energy at the _dōjō_; he'd seen Kyo practicing kicks against the heavy bag in the yard, some of the younger students were working in small groups, and the old man who tended the garden was...tending the garden.

"How is she?" Kazuma asked him as he entered the _dōjō_. Hatori stood up and walked over to him to check Rin's vitals - which was a bit awkward cause Haru was still holding her as he did this.

"I think she needs some food and sleep, she is probably dehydrated and knowing Rin, she probably hasn't eaten recently, but... I tihink I am going to take her upstairs - is it okay if I stay the night with her, Master?" He felt like he was babbling, but Hatori and his Master seemed to understand and both nodded.

"Make sure she has plenty of rest, and gets some nourishment as well. I will come check in on her in a few days, call me if there are any complications, Hatsuharu." Hatori said in his austere tone of voice. Haru nodded and turned on his heel before he could say anything more.

The _dōjō _consisted of three buildings, a garden (complete with a walking path, koi pond, and gazebo) and a training area in the front. The main building was a very open area, the second floor was mainly a mezzanine that surrounded the vast living room. It was not the best place for privacy, but Haru knew she would be comfortable here because she had used Kazuma's place as a refuge when she didn't want to be around Kagura's family in the past.

Haru took her to the bed she had sybolically claimed as "hers" over the years and laid her down. She moaned a little but he just shushed her back to tranquil and laid down next to her, propping himsielf up with his elbow so he could look at her and sighed, she was so beautiful...but grimy. He hung his head in defeat, he had to clean her up some before he let her sleep, and maybe try to get some food in her. Though he was tired, he walked out of the room to get bath water ready for her.

When he returned to her, she was starting to toss and turn; though he should be used to it by now, the motion always made him cringe inside. He walked over to her and stirred her awake by shaking her icy shoulder. She fluttered her dark eyes open and looked at him.

"Hey babe, lets get you cleaned up." Haru said, picking her back up and carrying her to the bathroom, she remained quiet - which made him a little nervous but not enough to make a big deal out of it. When he sat her on the toilet she glared at him, which in turn, caused him to raise his eyebrows.

"Do you just want to see me naked?" She accused him.

"Well now you've got me there, yes Rin, despite the face that you are covered in dirt and sweat and blood, the only reason I am cleaning you up is because I want to check you out." She blushed at his retort and he rolled his eyes and sighed, continuing to undress her. "Ready?"

~o~o~0~o~o~

Rin winced a little when stepping into the steamy bath, and danced the little jig that one does when trying to adjust the degree of hotness to their own body temperature. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Haru smile and feeling embarassed, quickly sat down and gasped as pins and needles soared across her southern region of her body.

"It's hot."

"Well you're also very cold, you'll get used to it." Haru said, he made no move to hide the obvious bite in his tone - maybe he was annoyed with her. She was so distracted with her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that he was liberally applying body wash to a soft, damp washcloth and then started the process of bathing her. Rin was completely embarrassed by his actions, they were so sensuous and imposing at the same time!

"Are you...I can...but..if" She mumbled, he looked at her curiously at her incoherent jabber and smiled.

"Relax, Isuzu." he said, she gulped and nodded at his request.

She didn't really know why she was so embarrassed by his actions. He had bathed her before - but then, at the time, he was in the bathtub with her and she was drunk on lust and too manyeLong Island ice teas. And during that experience he had taken complete advantage of her nakedness, but now when he withheld himself from enjoying her...she didn't know what he was doing! There was so much tenderness in his touch when he washed away the dirt and grime that had accumulated on her body since she left the hospital. She started to cry at his selflessness. She had broken his heart, and he was still taking care of her. She didn't deserve such a good person. Shame filled her heart and emptied out of her eyes in her tears. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her up, wrapping her in a towel and carried her back to the bed that she found herself waking up on. Slowly he dressed her in a nightshirt that he found in a drawer. When she was completely settled he looked at her with deep, concerned and what might have been annoyed eyes.

"Please don't go!" She begged him.

"No, Rin I'm staying here with you. At least for tonight." He said, cradling her cheek and kissing her forehead. She bit her lip - trying to decide if she should tell him that wasn't what she had meant. No, Haru...gentle Haru. Please don't leave me. She couldn't find the voice to tell him so she just hitched her breath and nodded.

"Will you hold me, Haru?'' She pleaded, feeling pathetic that she needed to ask for it and looked at him. he swept her hair out of her eyes and played with it, briefly. But made no move to hold her.

"Am I ugly now?" Feeling very aware of her ragged appearance, she didn't want to be unsightly to him anymore. u

"No, you're beautiful." Haru told her and got up, took his sweatshirt and kicked his boots off and slid in next to her. "Go to sleep, Rin."

She wanted to protest, she wanted to talk to him some more, but the sand man was already teasing her eyes shut and she slowly drifted to sleep.

~o~o~0~o~o~

When Rin woke the next morning, Haru was nowhere to be found. When Master Kazuma's housekeeper, Lin came to check on her, she told him that Haru had left the _dōjō _earlier that morning, and told Kazuma that he would be back the following day. That little tidbit of knowledge made Rin worry - she hated worrying because the emotion would always trigger another ulcer to upset her stomach...again. So despite Lin and Kazuma's efforts, she refused to eat, knowing that she would just regurgitate it.

But when Kagura and her mother came to visit Kagura threatened to tell Haru that she wasn't eating again if she wouldn't at least have some jelly- probably the only thing in the world she actually liked. Rin agreed to eat some after Kagura left if only to shut her up. And for the remainder of the visit, gave her the evil eye.

"Hate me all you want, you know if you didn't eat after that experience you would just upset Haru even more than you have already Kagura said, picking at her nails with her teeth while she sat at the end of Rin's bed.

"How much have I upset him, Kagura?" Rin asked momentarily after hearing Kagura's statement. She didn't answer Rin right away, in fact, Rin was sure she was taking forever on purpose because Kagura was angry at her as well. She couldn't really understand why though.

"After you broke up with him, a part of him vanished. I don't know if it will ever return to be completely honest. You broke his heart, Rin. The least you can do is cooperate with him - and everyone else for that matter - until you're well again. I wont speak for him because I don't know how he feels...but I do know that he changed...he was sad. Just think about it." Kagura let out a raggedy breath before leaving and promised to be back early the next morning with some of her things.

When she was gone, Rin cried for the ump-teeth time. She didn't know what she was supposed to be feeling after hearing Kagura's blunt words. She didn't want to feel shame or embarrassment or regret but the feelings were ever so slightly creeping into her heart. She wanted to be angry, but alas, she felt no anger towards her - or anyone for that matter, not even herself - all she felt, was pain and misery.

~o~o~0~o~o~

Haru purposely avoided visiting Rin for two days. One, he wanted her to catch up on her rest, and two, he needed time to think. So much information in such a short amount of time was too overwhelming! So he went to school like every other confused teenager and avoided as much people as he could. Part of him felt bad for not seeing her though.

He never thought loving someone could be so hard, but anything about Rin was easy, simple, uncomplicated. Her life was a roller coaster that she refused to get off of despite the fact that she was completely terrified of the ride. Living without her had almost been a blessing because despite the fact that he longed to see her, it was a little easier then watching her destroy herself. Just to contradict that, he had been stressed out about all the little things - the idiosyncrasies that Rin had developed over time. Not eating, losing sleep, forgetting about her health, not going to the doctor when she needed to go. He knew that she would get worse if he wasn't there to bug her about it.

But she told him that she didn't need him.

The statement gave him the sensation of a sharp blade sliding under his spine and piercing his heart - it cut him like a knife. He wasn't sure how he was able to breathe after he left the hospital room that day because the haze he was in was so fogged up he could barely see. He snapped after his teacher made a comment about how the school bell had broken. He trashed his own classroom in hope to find some clarity and nearly hurt Tohru in the process.

He knew she was confused herself, and probably very upset. Hopefully she was eating something! Kagura told him that she got her to eat jelly - it was annoying that jelly was all that she would eat but at least it was something - which made him happy. He sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, knowing Rin as he did, she was probably panicking about his absence.

~o~o~0~o~o~

Rin was panicking at Haru's absence. He hadn't shown his face in two days! Was he never come back to her? Surely he would never want to see her again after what she had put him through. Exclamations buzzed through her brain as her anxiety level peaked. What was she gtoing to do if he decided never to return?

Just as she finished thinking that he walked through the door with a food tray. Her eyes widened and she gulped as he put her tray down on the bedside table and turned to leave again.

"You aren't leaving again are you? Please don-"

"Rin I am going to get myself a chair, I'll be back soon." He interrupted her. Though his reassuring voice was comforting, it did little to calm her. But true to his word, Haru had indeed returned with a chair

"Why didn't you just sit on the bed?..." her voice drifted off as he sat on the bed and put the food tray on the chair and then looked at her, she had to look away from him and his penetrating gaze. "How...how..wa..." she felt silly, it wasn't like her to be so nervous but that look made her uncomfortable. "please stop looking at me like that."

"Will you explain to me in your own words what you've been doing this whole time, I need to understand Isuzu." He said, leaning foward so much so she could not escape his expression anymore.

Her nerves caused her to quiver and so she sat up to provide herself with a little more distance from him. He reverted his gaze briefly to the exposed skin that her showy little night thing flashed. But then looked back at her face, intently. Taking a deep breath, she told him her story.


	6. Chapter 6: Rin's Story

**Quick Note:**

**I do not own any of the rights to "Fruit's Basket", the credit to the manga/anime belongs to the creator,**Takaya Natsuki **and publisher(s) ****FUNimation (anime) & ****Tokyopop (manga)********. The story I have written is influenced from the fruits basket manga.**

**Enjoy!**

"I was beckoned to see Akito sometime after you got off spring vacation. It was also around the same time Kisa started talking again... He asked me if it was true that we were dating..I couldn't lie to him - i couldn't hide it even though I didn't want him to know. I don't know how he found out! He asked me who it was that 'sweet-talked the other into it' and 'incurred his anger'. Then he reminded me about Hatori-san's eye, and his fiance, Kana.

"He reminded me that there is no controlling him when he gets angry and there is no telling what he would do. So I told him I was the one to initiate everything and he snapped. He told me that my darkness would devour you and that I was useless, disgusting, and sneaky and I needed to learn my place.

"I don't really remember what happened after he threw me out the window. But when I woke up, I could still hear everything Akito had told me, every threat he made against you was played back in my mind. So I decided to push you away. That way you would be safe from Akito - he wouldn't hurt you or anything.

"And it hurt so much to break up with you Haru, I didn't want to...but I didn't know what else to do!

"After I recovered...I wanted to find a cure - to put a stop to everything! Not to ease my suffering, but because I didn't want you to be burdened with it anymore - I wanted you to be free. And so I did my research - I asked everyone I could think of...Shigure, Kazuma, I was looking for Kureno when I last went to Sohma house...but I ran into Ren, Akito's mother. She told me if I got a box from Akito's room, she would tell me the way to break the curse! She promised me! But Akito found me. I had never seen him that angry...

"It was so scary.

"He hurt me, and cut my hair, and locked me in the cats room - threatening to blind you if I didn't stay there...

"I'm sorry...I failed Haru."

When she was done Haru lifted her chin and looked deep into her eyes."Don't act on your own ever again, Rin. No matter what the reason is - tell me next time something like this happens - do you understand me?" She gulped at the seriousness in his tone and couldn't answer him. "DO YOU!" she still had yet answer him, she just shivered at the intensity in his voice feeling the tears well up, she almost thought he was going to leave, but instead he took her into his arms and held her for twenty long and cherished minutes. With no act of selfishness, no kissing or touching, he just held her. And for the first time in a long time, Rin felt safe.


End file.
